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Just curious about this... What's dinner look like on Saturday? Looking to come down at least for the day to hang out with everyone, and was wondering if I could buy my way into the feast of years past!

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Just signed into NW disc golf news to express what a disappointment it was to drive 2.5 hrs on a motorcycle to play Whistlers Bend only to be told by some pretentious jerk that the course was closed for a tournament...we had spoken with numerous other competitors who welcomed us...but this one told us we could "watch some incredible players" but we couldn't play any open holes. I checked on disc golf review for any events scheduled prior to travelling and nowhere on the site was there any signage stating an event in progress nor that the course was closed (I see here that this was not a sanctioned event). This was the first time I have ever experienced a jerk in the disc golf world and don't know who he was but it kind of ruined Father's Day for my husband...hope his putter goes flat and his dics (sic) always come up short.

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As someone who was involved with the tournament happenings, I appologize that you had a bad experience with someone. Whistlers Doubles is a huge event that takes so much time to plan and get the course ready for the event, between event set up, raising money, and mowing the course. As someone who lives on the coast I understand what it is like to travel for disc golf, almost every weekend. However, the permits were paid to close the course for the weekend, and just because the tournament is not sanctioned (its tough to sanction a doubles event) does not mean that the course was open for recreational players to "squeeze into gaps." We had 27 groups of four start on 27 different holes, for two full flights each day. The pace of play was slow as it was, if we allowed recreational groups to also play the players that paid to play that weekend would have finished in the dark each day. If you know the name of the person that was rude to you about it, please let me know, and I will adress it with the person, that is not how we would like our reputation to be in Southern Oregon, for the most part we are nice people.

Scott Withers
Pdga 38464
Proud Member of the Whistlers Misfits!

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As someone who was involved with the tournament happenings, I appologize that you had a bad experience with someone. Whistlers Doubles is a huge event that takes so much time to plan and get the course ready for the event, between event set up, raising money, and mowing the course. As someone who lives on the coast I understand what it is like to travel for disc golf, almost every weekend. However, the permits were paid to close the course for the weekend, and just because the tournament is not sanctioned (its tough to sanction a doubles event) does not mean that the course was open for recreational players to "squeeze into gaps." We had 27 groups of four start on 27 different holes, for two full flights each day. The pace of play was slow as it was, if we allowed recreational groups to also play the players that paid to play that weekend would have finished in the dark each day. If you know the name of the person that was rude to you about it, please let me know, and I will adress it with the person, that is not how we would like our reputation to be in Southern Oregon, for the most part we are nice people.

Scott Withers
Pdga 38464
Proud Member of the Whistlers Misfits!

Thank you Scott. For taking the time to reply. I wish I knew the name of the dude because he is clearly the exception to the rule. I suppose a bit of signage somewhere might have helped to forewarn us. We are Southern Oregon locals but hadn't played at this gem yet. I guess maybe Disc Golf Review isn't used much? That has been our go to source and had checked it for events there so we wouldn't have usage conflict. It was a great day for a ride anyway. Hope to see you out there.
Thanks
Arden Prehn
PS-apologies for the slight of being a "non-sanctioned" event, no disrespect intended it looks like it was a highly skilled, competitive event.

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Okay, I think I am the "pretentious jerk" who was the first to tell you that the course was closed on tee pad one. My name is Andy Hock. I don't think I'm a jerk, you can ask around if you like. I tried to be as respectful and gracious as I could be. But I guess that I was the bearer of some pretty bummer news so that makes me a jerk.

The same people who built and maintain that gem of a course are the ones who ran this tournament. We payed about $300 a foursome to play in the tourny and a portion of that money goes to making course improvements.

We've all experienced this phenomenon before. Disc is a new sport and we don't have the infrastructure that more developed sports have. I'm sorry that your plans got disrupted. But be careful how you throw around accusations. The disc golf community is small and has a good memory.

Ps... My putter flew super well after we talked to you...

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Just signed into NW disc golf news to express what a disappointment it was to drive 2.5 hrs on a motorcycle to play Whistlers Bend only to be told by some pretentious jerk that the course was closed for a tournament...we had spoken with numerous other competitors who welcomed us...but this one told us we could "watch some incredible players" but we couldn't play any open holes. I checked on disc golf review for any events scheduled prior to travelling and nowhere on the site was there any signage stating an event in progress nor that the course was closed (I see here that this was not a sanctioned event). This was the first time I have ever experienced a jerk in the disc golf world and don't know who he was but it kind of ruined Father's Day for my husband...hope his putter goes flat and his dics (sic) always come up short.

I don't really think that someone telling you the course was closed in a way you didn't like ruined Father's Day for you - I think the course being closed was the main reason you felt your day was ruined. Had you ventured out onto the course you would not have had a good experience as you would most likely have been told repeatedly that the course was closed by group after group, and you would have been waiting on every single tee-pad for the group in front of you to finish before you could play, by which time the group behind you would likely have caught up to you and told you the course was closed, rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat.

Trying to play a fun casual round in the midst of a 100+ person 27 hole tournament with 9 additional holes added to the normal course is not a fun experience and the person at Tee 1 who got to be the bearer of bad news likely did you a big favor.

Not sure if you mean discgolfcoursereview.com or discgolfreview.com but neither one of those sites or really any other site is a comprehensive or official website for listing events, other than PDGA.com for sanctioned events. BUT, there IS a comprehensive Calendar of Pacific Northwest events right at the top of this page here where it says CALENDAR. Always worth checking. Bummer that you made the trip for nothing, it happens at every tournament pretty much.

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ďI believe I can hit 18 greens, hit every fairway, you know ó Vision 54, which means you birdie every hole, thatís in the back of my mind. I want to putt better, chip better. That day when I hit 18 greens and one putt, Iíll know Iím a complete golfer. Will that ever happen? Iím not sure, but itís possible. The 54 vision is always in the back of my mind.Ē~Annika SŲrenstam

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i try to be the person to inform folks who show up at a closed course that they can't play... because i'm a pretty likeable person and i know how to be patient and polite and because watching them eff with everybody's game by trying to squeeze in between holes is going to stress me out and wreck my focus more than if i just try to turn the other way and keep my focus where it should be during a tournament, which is on my game and my throws.

however, i am usually treated pretty poorly. i have never been called out in public before, tho... i admire andy's response as much as i admire him as a person. altho i don't know andy well, he was present for a break through in my level of play during a tournament (RIP M3PO) and was encouraging and uplifting and also helped me to be reasonable and rational and keep my head in the game when i ended up having to deal with a difficult competitor. point is, i feel strongly that he is not a pretentious jerk.

i also feel strongly that it is incredibly disappointing to show up at a tournament and not be allowed to play... HOWEVER... that doesn't mean that we should take pity on people and tell them that they can squeeze in where there's space and that's fine... seriously, people, that just makes it worse for the rest of the tournament players who then DO speak up and inform the folks that the course is closed. we all gotta be sending the same message on this so that folks really understand... and it should be politely and calmly delivered in a respectful manner. i find it helpful to inform people that we indeed did pay extra fees in order to have this priviledge... that seems to sometimes help get the point across.

and, it is a VERY good point that signage should be posted and HIGHLY visible. this gives us a leg to stand on as players when we tell folks they can't play.

"'There are two mantras.,' Bernard said, 'Yum and yuk. Mine is yum.'"
Tom Robbins, Still Life With Woodpecker

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If it was indeed Andy we will all stick up for him, he is a super nice dude that has done great things for the sport of disc golf, this website is the one that you should use to check for any events, nobody in Oregon uses any other sites to promote events.

Thank you.

Maybe next year you can get a team in doubles.

Its a lot of fun, and all players get a players pack, three incredible rounds and if you cash in your division payouts are usually big.

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I support Andy Hock. Maybe not materially . What about the results? Had to leave after my last round. I was the oldest player there (I think so anyway) and didn't fall down once, had a smore, lots of fun with the DR Disccombobulated team , Teresa, Tom , and that wild and wonderful Jessica. Good to see all the old friends having a blast at Whistlers Bend. YEAH
and I heard I cashed too.